After our plans to hike Hiji Falls were postponed, we were interested in another waterfall hike. Ryan knew of one that he'd completed with friends, but admitted he hadn't really SEEN the falls because they hiked at night. He knew roughly where it was and when we confirmed the trailhead location online, we saw that there were TWO waterfalls on this particular hike. Ryan only remembered one, so the opportunity to see two waterfalls in one journey added to the appeal. Let's do it.
Unlike our earlier hike, the beginnings of our trek were surprisingly manicured, with an obvious path that could accommodate small groups of people walking together without forcing them to walk single file.
After a short walk across a stream, over a lovely bridge that crossed the same stream in a different place, and a few ups and downs over stairs composed of natural materials, we came to Fukugawa Falls.
The picture doesn't show the entire pool at the base of the falls. It's quite a bit wider on both sides than can be shown here, and on the left side are two rope swings. The pool is deep underneath the rope swings to have a good ole time, but we suspect the ropes are sturdy enough for average-sized Okinawans, which we are NOT. The water was cool on this day, so we stayed dry and skipped stones. Ryan brought along a nice cigar, because he only knew of this waterfall. We lit up and enjoyed the fresh air.
Neither of us noticed a second path leading beyond this first waterfall, but I was curious and hopeful that a second waterfall lay somewhere further upstream. When we'd had our fill of Fukugawa Falls (I), we looked out for something that looked like another path as we made our way from the pool back to the trail. I thought I saw a "trail," but it was considerably narrower than the path on which we began our hike. We followed it and eventually reached the top of Fukugawa Falls (I), after which it continued on. We opted to keep traveling forward, figuring we'd get out and see the top of Fukugawa Falls I on our way back to the car.
We had our first adventure together in Okinawa. Neither one of us knew where we were going, and neither of us were at all convinced we were going anywhere at all! The trails very quickly dissolved, shunting us into the creekbed itself. We hiked along the river for one of the best rock-hopping experienced I've ever had.
Some areas were easy - just a matter of choosing which large boulder to hop to next. Other areas offered more water than rocks, and some of these spots were a little too deep for simply getting your feet wet and walking. Although we had water sandals and were fine (yay, Chacos!), we might have opted for hiking shoes in some places. We continued on, more excited about what we might find than worried about our gear. Soon, we heard the sound of splashing water and saw another waterfall: Fukugawa II!
The photo on the left is of Ryan at the top of Fukugawa Falls, part deux. He took one of me near the pool at the base of the falls. This was our attempt at providing some idea of the height of these falls, which were higher than the first waterfall. Notice in the photo of the falls a narrow, bridge-like structure on the right at the top of the falls. This turned out to be an irrigation system, presumably for the agricultural fields on both sides of the road we took to get to the trailhead. Ryan was more interested than I was, primarily because I was not at all comfortable being up that high on a narrow trail and very little to grab on. I like to have my three points of contact.
Two falls for a single hike. We played here for a bit, enjoyed a few more puffs of the cigar, and then decided to call it a day. The scramble back to the top of Fukugawa Falls I seemed much shorter than the journey in, but that's probably because we had some idea of where we were going this time. Have you ever noticed that trips/hikes you've never taken before seem much longer than they are?
Unlike our earlier hike, the beginnings of our trek were surprisingly manicured, with an obvious path that could accommodate small groups of people walking together without forcing them to walk single file.
After a short walk across a stream, over a lovely bridge that crossed the same stream in a different place, and a few ups and downs over stairs composed of natural materials, we came to Fukugawa Falls.
The picture doesn't show the entire pool at the base of the falls. It's quite a bit wider on both sides than can be shown here, and on the left side are two rope swings. The pool is deep underneath the rope swings to have a good ole time, but we suspect the ropes are sturdy enough for average-sized Okinawans, which we are NOT. The water was cool on this day, so we stayed dry and skipped stones. Ryan brought along a nice cigar, because he only knew of this waterfall. We lit up and enjoyed the fresh air.
Neither of us noticed a second path leading beyond this first waterfall, but I was curious and hopeful that a second waterfall lay somewhere further upstream. When we'd had our fill of Fukugawa Falls (I), we looked out for something that looked like another path as we made our way from the pool back to the trail. I thought I saw a "trail," but it was considerably narrower than the path on which we began our hike. We followed it and eventually reached the top of Fukugawa Falls (I), after which it continued on. We opted to keep traveling forward, figuring we'd get out and see the top of Fukugawa Falls I on our way back to the car.
We had our first adventure together in Okinawa. Neither one of us knew where we were going, and neither of us were at all convinced we were going anywhere at all! The trails very quickly dissolved, shunting us into the creekbed itself. We hiked along the river for one of the best rock-hopping experienced I've ever had.
Some areas were easy - just a matter of choosing which large boulder to hop to next. Other areas offered more water than rocks, and some of these spots were a little too deep for simply getting your feet wet and walking. Although we had water sandals and were fine (yay, Chacos!), we might have opted for hiking shoes in some places. We continued on, more excited about what we might find than worried about our gear. Soon, we heard the sound of splashing water and saw another waterfall: Fukugawa II!
Two falls for a single hike. We played here for a bit, enjoyed a few more puffs of the cigar, and then decided to call it a day. The scramble back to the top of Fukugawa Falls I seemed much shorter than the journey in, but that's probably because we had some idea of where we were going this time. Have you ever noticed that trips/hikes you've never taken before seem much longer than they are?
Before heading to the car, we went to the top of the first waterfall of the day. Although these falls weren't as high as the second waterfall, the cascade was much more impressive. The view at the top allowed us to get a peek at the surrounding peaks over the treeline. The weather was perfect for hiking: cool enough to keep the bugs back but warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. We left Fukugawa Falls feeling as though we'd given ourselves a fun workout and so happy we were in such a place for exploring. There HAVE to be other natural treasures out here, but without any understanding of kanji and a slowly growing handle on Japanese, finding the trailhead may prove more challenging than completing the hike. With views like these, the journey is so worthwhile.
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| The view from Fukugawa Falls I, the water cascading down to the pool on the bottom left. |
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